Orbital Launch and Integration Tower(OLIT) and the Orbital Launch Mount(OLM)


I posted info on the OLIT and OLM on an earlier post HERE. The NSF Update is dated. Here is the latest NSF Update - Starship Flight 14 Nears

Oh so many memories of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the Space Shuttle

Thank you for keeping us up to date Orion

Test flight 14 launch has bumped up to Sept 22nd at 8:15 am EST. This will be Starship's first orbital flight. Starship has been launching from Texas and splashing down in the Indian Ocean an hour and fifteen minutes later after deploying 20 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit. This first orbital flight is a test for flight 15 possible ship catch. Ship S42, test flight 15, was transported to pad 2 and was run through a series of test preparing for a ship catch. Changes were made to the chopsticks after flight 13 prepping for a ship catch

NSF Latest Update - Another very good update. You can scroll to 4:50 for S42 test at the launch pad again prepping for a possible ship catch on test flight 15. All has to go right on flight 14

Launch date set for Sept 28th at 8:15 am EST

SpaceX will attempt a 10 orbit flight able to cut short if an issue occurs. The flight will last 10 hours. Starship is planned to splash down in the southeast Pacific Ocean west of Chile after completing its planned orbits (targeting roughly six to ten orbits depending on the specific profile updates for Flight 14) during its roughly 10-hour mission. You can catch the launch on SpaceX and NSF

NSF Launches - Click on Starship Flight 14 for info

Flight 14

It's one week to Starship Flight 14... Again - Countdown to Launch

So you caught a Starship... now what?" - Starbase Summary - A sign of things to come, as Flight 15’s Ship 42 underwent a series of simulations involving Pad 2’s Mechazilla system at Starbase. Should the upcoming Flight 14 go as planned, this sight could become the reality of Flight 15’s conclusion

Space Coast Live: 24/7 Views of NASA - Space Coast Live provides 24/7 views of SpaceX and NASA launch operations in Florida including the new Starship pad at LC-39A

Booster(B21) was transported to launch pad 2 Sunday - SpaceX rolls Super Heavy Booster 21...Rolls & Stacks Ship 41 For Flight 14

Ship(S41) was transported to pad 2 and stacked onto B21 preparing for test flight 14 on Sept 28th at 9:30 am EST- SpaceX Rolls & Stacks Ship 41 For Flight 14


ADDED:

! Live coverage event starting 7am EST on the 24th - Starship Wet Dress Rehearsal - This is the first time a fully stacked Starship will be loaded with propellants then ignited on the launch pad testing the booster and other Starship parameters. A launch rehearsal

**

SpaceX shoots for first orbital flight of Starship - SpaceX is on the cusp of sending its massive Starship rocket to orbit for the first time in program history

Timetable:

00:00 Introduction
01:04 Going orbital
02:37 Road to Ship reuse
06:20 Super Heavy booster
08:46 Starlink V3
10:18 Artemis importance - Artemis 3 and Starship docking for lunar landing

think I missed the testing...

They start loading propellants at 11 am EST, static fire shortly after soot. Wet dress rehearsal is live now - Starship Wet Dress Rehearsal. EDIT: Live WDR has ended now recorded

****

EDIT: SpaceX did not run a static fire test for what reason it is not yet known. It was expected. This rehearsal might have just been a complete countdown run checking all changes and updates to Starship and pad leading up to Monday's launch making sure it is ready for its 10 orbital flight

Yes Orion ... rehearsals are an impotant step in any/all complex missions ... did them all the time many moons ago. Thanks again for your updates!

After Thursdays launch rehearsal SpaceX destacked the ship from the booster and set it on its transporter where it sat next to the launch pad. It was set back on top the booster Saturday

**

** I forgot to add this link for the timeline - Highlights of the launch rehearsal:

Timeline

1:29:25 -Tank Farm Starting/Running. The tank farm is situated behind launch pads 1 and 2. Here liquid methane and liquid oxygen are stored. Both are chilled before being delivered, in massive volumes, to the ship and booster. Combined at the engines thrust is created to lift Starship off the pad. There are 33 Raptor engines on the booster and 6 on the ship. The tank farm also supplies the water for the deluge system

2:08:50 - Booster shown fully loaded with propellants

2:13:25 - a complete run up Starship

2:22:25 - Ship shown fully loaded with propellants

2:39:40 - Detanking begun


Raptor engines being tested at SpaceX's Massey testing grounds. Scroll around - Testing


Starship Eyes Orbit, NASA’s Moon Base Plans Take Shape - Moon discussion starts 5 min in. NASA is very serious about this lunar base

Thanks, Orion!

!! - Tomorrow Monday Sept 28 at 8:15 am EST Starship will be launching from Texas. Starship’s first orbital mission is expected to fly at an altitude approximately 275 km, 178 miles, above Earth and complete approximately six orbits around the planet over the course of a nearly 10-hour flight with splashdown targeted in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Chile. This is the first early morning launch since flight 5 and the first time Starship will orbit the earth. The flight will take 10 hours providing all goes well. Watch the deployment of 26 Starlink satellites 34 minutes into flight. There is a pre launch and flight timeline HERE. The 10 hour test flight will be covered by SpaceX and NASAspaceflight (NSF)

If all goes well with this test flight SpaceX is looking to catch both booster and ship on flight 15


SpaceX - Coverage starts 7:45 am EST. As usual coverage will be in and out as milestones hit

NSF - Coverage/commentary starts 4:15 am EST. NSF is suppose suppose to cover the entire flight pre launch to splashdown

**

Starbase Summary - This is a very good 10 minutes summary of ship stacking/destacking after the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) Thursday and a look at the WDR itself. There is a massive amount of construction happening at the Port Connector, Starbase link to the gulf


Starship Live